Productivity and Competitive Ability of Sweet Corn (Zea mays L. saccharata) Based Vegetable Legume Intercropping System during Rabi Season under Southern Transition Zone of Karnataka, India

A field experiment was conducted during rabi season of 2023 at Keladi Shivappa Nayaka University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga, Karnataka to evaluate the effect of different vegetable legumes as intercrops on productivity, competitive ability and profitability of sweet corn. It was laid out in randomized complete block design with ten treatments and replicated thrice. The treatments consisted of sweet corn intercropping with french bean, vegetable cowpea and field bean in 2:2 and 3:2 row proportion compared with their sole cropping for their productivity and competitive ability. Sole sweet corn recorded significantly higher plant height (199.60 cm), leaf area (88.45 dm2 plant-1), dry matter accumulation (92.50 g plant-1), cob yield (201 q ha-1) and stover yield (287 q ha-1). Among the intercropping systems, sweet corn + field bean (2:2) recorded significantly higher plant height (185.79 cm), leaf area (65.42 dm2 plant-1), dry matter accumulation (83.22 g plant-1), cob yield (125 q ha-1) and stover yield (179 q ha-1) followed by sweet corn + vegetable cowpea (2:2). Evaluation of intercropping system was performed on the basis of several competitive indices viz., sweet corn equivalent yield (SEY), land equivalent ratio (LER), area time equivalent ratio (ATER), relative crowding coefficient (RCC), system productivity index (SPI) and monetary advantage index (MAI), where significantly higher SEY (244 q ha-1), LER (1.22), ATER (1.10), RCC (1.66), SPI (246) and MAI (Rs. 89,567) was obtained with sweet corn + field bean in 2:2 row proportion followed by sweet corn + vegetable cowpea in 2:2 row proportion. Therefore, sweet corn intercropped with field bean in 2:2 row proportion was found most compatible and remunerative intercropping system.